UK-based search engine marketing company Upthebeanstalk expanded to SA earlier this year. It aims to tap into a market that it says has great growth potential.
Upthebeanstalk SA regional director Lliam Roach says SA is about six years behind the UK in terms of online marketing, and based on the company's UK experience, the potential for growth in SA is “huge”.
The local unit was formed in January and took a while to get off the ground, but has been well received, Roach says. However, the company is facing the challenge of reduced budgets during the recession.
Upthebeanstalk offers search engine marketing, search engine optimisation and pay-per-click advertising. Although the company is outsourcing work to the UK at the moment, it aims to build a local staff complement this year, Roach says.
The company has set itself the target of becoming the second-largest company of its kind in SA, he says. It started pushing its marketing activities earlier this month, after setting up the company locally.
SA is the first country outside of the UK where the marketing company has expanded. Roach says the next step will be to set up a division in Australia, before moving global. South Africans Ryan and Rory McAuley launched the parent company last year.
The local unit also aims to expand further into the African continent, as the nature of the business is online, making it possible to work for any company with an Internet connection, says Roach.
There are about 10 competitors in the market - excluding the fly-by-night companies - but interest in online marketing and search optimisation has not yet taken off, Roach concludes.
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